The neighbourhood Thai restaurant is now open to bring the flavours of Bangkok’s disappearing street stalls, family run shophouse restaurants and night markets to SoHo’s bustling Elgin Street.

Stepping into the relaxed street level dining space, guests are greeted by the enticing aromas of Thai spices and herbs from the busy open kitchen. The energetic clatter of blazing woks mixes with the voices of the crowd, recreating the vibrant atmosphere of the capital city’s famed roadside dining spots. Black and white photographs depicting Thai life adorn the walls alongside edgy digital collages of Bangkok street scenes by Bangkok-based artist Pariwat Anatachinam – a nod to the city that inspired Soul Food.

Under the soft light of vintage-inspired green glass lamps, Soul Food serves up the best of Bangkok fare – a cuisine shaped by hometown recipes and regional dishes brought in from all over the country by immigrants who now reside in the city.

From North to South, Thailand’s favourite dishes are prepared with the utmost care usingtraditional techniques and the best ingredients. Dishes like Smoked duck and shiitake mushroom larb, a traditional Isaan salad, and Kanom Jeen, a fresh noodle dish served with curry from Central Thailand, are as diverse in origin as they are in flavour. The selection of curries ranges from Burmese style Gaeng Hang Lay, a rich pork belly curry balanced with sour tamarind, to Penang curry, made with braised beef, peanut and burnt pineapple.

Soul Food’s interpretation of Mieng kham, a Northern specialty of Laotian origin, along with Thai fried chicken wings and cashew lemongrass salad, pair well with the list ofinventive cocktails inspired by Thailand’s flavourful herbs and fruits.Alongside these signature drinks, an approachable list of wines, selected for their ability to marry well with the flavours and textures of Thai cuisine, are also available for guests to enjoy.

Soul Food Mahanakorn creator, Jarrett Wrisley is a seasoned American food critic turned restauranteur. His journalism career took him all over Thailand, where he studied the diverse food culture for eight years. Wrisley opened Soul Food as a way to honour recipes which he collected from his travels throughout the country, and the concept has received much acclaim since opening in 2010. Now eager to share the Soul Food experience with Hong Kong diners, the self-taught chef says, “we want to introduce a different kind of Thai eating experience, where people think beyond coconut curries and papaya salad. But mostly, we just want people to have fun.”

With the first international outpost of Soul Food, Wrisley joins the dynamic Black Sheep Restaurants family. “Jarrett’s ethos— his passion for Thai culture, and the way he tells the story of tradition with food – really aligns with our own,” says Black Sheep Restaurants Co-Founder, Syed Asim Hussain. “This dining experience is something unique that we know our guests will love.”

Known for its “good food, great cocktails”, Soul Food Hong Kong is set to become SoHo’s favourite Thai restaurant, where fun, good times and Bangkok staples with a little bit of “soul” are served nightly.